textfiles/occult/WICCA/wiccans.txt

		
		      Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie
				    by
			    William Schnoebelen
		    Copyright 1990 - Chick Pubilcations

	What follows is a summary of the above book. It is a book report if you
want to call it that, and the author of this text file neither endorces nor
denounces the information presented by Mr. Schnoebelen.
			
			  Forward and Introduction

	The author is a now a member of a group called Saints Alive in Jesus,
and currently councils those who have become involved in one way or another
in the occult, witchcraft, Satinism, etc. He goes on to explain that he was
involved in Wicca for 16 years, before discovering what it what really all
about.
	He states that an anthropologist or sociologist of religion may find
a difference between Wicca and Satinism, but from a spiritual standpoint, the
difference is non-existant. He says that practicing Satanism is like having a
neutron bomb blow up in your face, and praticing Wicca is like having a hand
grenade blow up in your face. The difference is there and discernable, but 
it's an utter disaster either way.
	
	The author describes his history with Wicca. He was initiated into the
Alexandrian Wicca on Imbolic, February 2, 1973, and made High Priest and Magus
in September of the same year. He and his lady were promoted to High Priestly
rank in the Druidic Craft of the Wise in the summer of that year, and studied
in Milwaukee under Gavin and Yvonne Frost.
	Some of the denomonations or traditions of Wicca are Alexandrian,
Gardnerian, Druidic, Welsh, Traditionalist, Georgian, Dianic, and Church
of Wicca. The author was residing over one of the largest networks in the
Midwest when he left Milwaukee in 1984.
	The author states that despite the what much of the extant literature
may lead you to believe, there is no real evidence that Wicca is a survival
of the ancient pagan fertility cults, especially those of Northern Europe and 
the British Isles. There is no proof or connection between Bronze Age cults
and modern witchcraft.
	The Author writes that Wicca is a manufactured religion not much
older than this century.
	The Oxford English Dictionary defines "Wicca" as twisted, bent, or
warped. Margot Adler admits that the word has its roots in the
Indo-European roots "wic" or "weik" meaning "to bend or turn" But Ms. Adler
supposedly tries to whitewash this definition by saying that a witch should
be skilled in the art of bending, shaping, and changing reality.
	The author closes the intro by saying that witches often play these
kind of "word games" to conceal the truth.

				Chapter One

	A man named Gerald B. Gardner set the tone of modern day Wicca, in his
1949 novel HIGH MAGIC'S AID under the pen name "Scire" (from the Latin meaning
"to know") The author writes that Gardner engaged in ritual sex on solemn 
occassions, and may have set up his cult this way becuase he came from a
family of devout nudists, and was addicted to masochism. This is suggested
by historians Francis King and Elliot Rose.
	The author then goes on to descibe Wicca's sprend to America, and 
mentions the names of Alex Sanders, Monique Wilson, (who was Gardner's 
heiress) Raymond Buckland, Ed Bucyzinski, and of course Gavin and Yvonne
Frost, and that each one had their own style of praticing Wicca.
	The author goes on for several pages describing how Satan engineered
Wicca as am "old religion for a new age." He says that the Book of Shadows is
not centuries old, as he was originally led to believe, but a collaboration
between Gerald Gardner and the notorious Satanist Aleister Crowley. Doreen
Valiente admits that a chant called "The Witches Rune" was written by her and
Gardner in the 1950's. Sizeable chunks of the Great Rite ceremony are right 
out of the Crowleyan "bible" LIBER AL VEL LEGIS and his gnostic mass.
	In short, the author states that most neo-pagan groups fall into the
catagory of being based on myths, fantasies, or even science fiction stories,
but that this is OK, because myths could be true, even if they are made up.
	The author was attracted to Wicca, because the idea of psychic powers
and the ability to do miraculous things fasinated him, and in the begining, he
says his magick spells worked wonderfully. However when he became a high 
priest, the magick somehow lost it's zing. He finally became faced with a
moral dillema, when a fellow covener says that his wife has divorced him and,
he does not want her to have custody of the children. This covener had asked 
the author to cast a death spell on his wife, so that he could have the 
children. This is when the author first began to question his belief in what
he was doing.
	He describes that Wicca encourages the "dark" or "shadow" side of 
the human psyche, not be buried deep within, but brought to the surface
recognized, yielding yourself to the darkest side of the shadow. Failure 
to deal with this dark side, causes nightmares and violent psychotic
breakdowns. Dealing with the dark side is done through fantasy, therapy, or 
role playing.
	The Author learned that Lucifer is the true God of Wicca, and that
"Satan" is a slander on the name of Lucifer, the true God of Light. Satan
was "just a boogy-man invented by Christians."
	The Author began to study the works of Aleister Crowley, and describes
reading the Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey. He then pursued priesthood in 
LaVey's Church of Satan, and even became a priest of the Second level.
	In closing, the author poses a question. If Wiccans are not Satanists,
why do they hold Aleister Crowley, the most notorious Satanist of this 
century, to such high esteem?
	The author began to have serious personal problems in his life, that
made him turn to Christianity. He says he stuggled for five years to get
away from what he had become involved in. This time period included a stint in
what he calls "that clever counterfeit of Christianity called the Morman
Church."

				Chapter Two


	In this chapter, the author criticizes the public relations aspect of 
Wicca. The term Warlock is frowned upon in many covens, because of its 
origin, meaning "traiter" or "covenant breaker" or even "devil" The Oxford 
English Dictionary uses the definitions traiter, wicked or damned soul, and 
devil.
	The author then attacks the "Universal Law" by which witches live,
and poses the questions as to where the law comes from, and what good is a law
that comes from nowhere. He questions the source of authority for Universal
Law. This law is supposedly "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law"
but this was written by Aleister Crowley.
	He attacks the notion that witches do not do evil. In doing this, he
points at a comandment, that if someone gives you something, you are to return
it to him 3-fold, and says that this is a 2-way street. In other words, if 
someone gives you 5 dollars, you give him 15 in return. On the other hand, if
someone punches you in the face, you ounch them in the face 3 times. He poses
the question that if witches do not do evil, why do they have a law like this?
	He then attacks the use of spells. Witches may claim that spells are
actually nothing more than a prayer, but the author says that true prayer is
based on the acknowledging the will of God, and that in Judeo/Christian
prayers, the request made in the prayer should be made according to what God
wants. Spells, on the other hand, are compared to operating a spiritual
vending machine of sorts. In doing this, witches seem to think that they're
the ones controlling the powers of the universe.
	Finally, he attacks Lucifer worship, and points out that Lucifer was
kicked out of heaven and is a fallen angel. This type of worship draws its
follwers away from the true God of the Bible.
	After 16 years of studying and searching, he says that the bible has
objective reality and can be tested, and is more realiable than any of the
mataphysical obscurity he had been believeing. He asks Wiccans how they can
test their "universal wisdom."

				Chapter Three

	This chapter starts out with some outright attacks. The author slams
the "white witches" or "good witches" saying that it's the same as saying
there is such a thing as "evil saints." The term "good witch" is actually
an oxymoron.
	He speaks of an encounter he had with a man named Mike Warnke. Warnke
was a former Satanist who turned to Christ and now spoke out against Satanism
and made no attempt to distinguish between "white witches" and Satanism. The
author sent Warnke a telegram saying that he and fellow Wiccans would be at
the rally Warnke was holding, and if he said anything about Wiccans being
Satanists, he'd be facing a libel suit. At the rally, Warnke slammed Satanism.
There were maybe 50 to 100 Wiccans listening. The confrontation they were 
expecting never occured, but among the Wiccans were card carrying members of
the Church of Satan.
	He attacks Anton LaVey and his daughter Zeena, who claims she is a
witch. This, apparently gets many Wiccans stirred up, when a member of the 
Church of Satan proclaims to be a witch, because Wiccans aren't Satan 
worshipers. The author says that during his involvment with Wicca, he met
many people who just read a few books, and said they were witches, simply
because they said they were. Most Wiccans he was involved with had this
lazzez-faire attitude about it, and that it was OK. OK, that is, for everyone
except Zeena LaVey.
	He goes on to attack the movie "Bell, Book, and Candle" and the T.V.
show "Bewitched" as whitewashed versions about what witchcraft and Wicca are
all about.
	The author really attacks Laurie Cabot. Ms. Cabot attacked the movie
"Witches of Eastwick" as a bigoted smear on witches, and threatened to sue any
news media that called those involved in the Matamoros Mexico mass murder,
witches. He accuses Ms. Cabot of trying to re-write history, of what witches
really are.
	The author talks extensively about word games that the English 
language plays, saying that the words "witch" "Wicca" and "Wicked" all 
come from the same root word meaning "to twist" or "to bend" He says that
mostly everone around the world will always percieve witches as being evil and
wicked, unless someone like Ms. CAbot is allowed to re-wrtie history. He also
make the comparison in word games of the English language, that "gay" no 
longer means "happy"
	For all of the slamming the author does in this chapter, he says the
following:
	"We must be as patient, compassionate, and understanding with these
people as possible, and make them understand that we are not persecuting them
or preventing them from worshiping freely. (as long as their activities 
aren't anti-social) We are simply warning them of the evil they've fallen 
prey to, and we are not going to run them out of town or burn them at the 
stake if they do not heed our warning."

				Chapter Four

	This chapter begins with the author talking about the "burning time"
when witches, or alledged witches were burned at the stake, or otherwise
persecuted during the Spanish inquisition, Salem witch trials, etc. The author
says that witches blame Christians for this in an effort to make themselves
appear as martyrs. The author then points out that true Christianity cannot be
based on any one religion or religious group, but it is more of a matter of
a personal relationship with God. The persecutors were not true Christians.
True Christianity is based on love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
	He goes on to say that the constant praticing of ritual, does
not bring one closer to God. He points out that ritual without reason means
nothing. He then goes on to say that modern paganism, and the Roman Catholic
church have the following in common:
	
	1. Both teach "salvation" through ritual acts and good works.
	2. Both have a god and a goddess (Mary) figure in their pantheon.
	3. Both have a slain and risen god who dies and is reborn in a 
	   seasonal cycle of ritual dramas.
	4. Both have magic or thaumaturgy (Transubstantiation in the Mass)
	   as central elements in their theology.
	5. Both make use of incense, statues, candles and cerimonial robes in
	   their devotions.
	6. Both believe in a kind of second chance after death (Purgatory)
	7. Both believe the rituals of the living can affect the dead.
	8. Both believe in rituals of pain and mortification for purification.

	The author says that many of the people he met while involved in Wicca
were former Catholics.
	
	The author says that many witches attack the old Mosaic Law of Moses
with understanding the purpose of that law in the first place. This is the 
part of the law that says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live..." among
others, and the laws dealing with animal sacrifices. The author says that God
never intended for this law to be a permamant part of the covenant with
Isreal, but was merely to confront them with their inability to be perfect
without his help. These laws were abolished and rendered null and void, with
Christ's death and resurection.
	The author does point out that there are those who would like to 
return to enforcing the old Mosaic Law. This is not what God wants. No one
must be forced, tortured, or otherwise coerced into becoming a Christian.
Jesus never intended people to follow him through brute force.
	In closing, the author says that there is not basis for witches to
accuse Christians of persecuting them, because those doing the persecuting
may have called themselves Christians, but they were not Christians.

				Chapter Five

	In this chapter, the author discusses drug usage among some of the
covens. He mentions how drugs are used to achieve psycic awareness and 
reach higher levels of consiousness. Many users (himself included) fell into
drug abuse and addiction. 
	He mentions a appearance he made on Geraldo, and reputiated Laurie 
Cabot's claim that witches do not use, nor do they advocate the use of drugs
in their rituals. He said that finding a coven that does not have a drug user.
is like finding a Christian church that doesn't have a bible.

				Chapter Six

	The author discusses the Goddess concept and the appeal that it has.
Goddess is indentified in 3 facets, relating to the waxing and waning moon.
The Virgin Goddess (waxing moon) represented by a pubescent girl, the Mother
Goddess (Full moon) represented by a pregnant woman, and the Old Crone or Old
Hag (dark moon) represented by a post-menopausal, but wise woman.
	The author says that the trap is the "many names-one goddess" belief,
and points to a Goddess whose name is Kali. Kali is a goddess who frequently
kills her lovers, and has had human sacrifices made to her down through the
centuries. Some as recently as 1985. Author poses the question, that if there
are "many names-one goddess" how can Kali be the gentle goddess of Wicca?
	Author goes on to mention other goddesses whp demand human sacrifice.
Among them Lilitu or Lilith (Sumarian) Tanit (Phoenician) Artemis (Greek) and
Cerridwen (Celtic) He says that many Wiccans revere these goddesses, yet all
have a history of demanding human sacrifice, especially infants. Some Wiccans
attribute SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) to these goddesses, as
sacrifice.
	The author describes (in graphic detail) about how a young male goes
through a cerimonial castration, in order to prove himself worthy of becoming
a priest and serving Goddess. (Not praticed today, but in ancient times)
	The author reasserts that none of these kinds of things are practiced
today, but they do have a modern, more subtle counter-part known as abortion.
He says you'll find Wiccans at the forefront of the right-to-life movement.
He says our culture is hypocritical in accepting abortion, but not outright
infant sacrifice. To God, they are both the same thing.

				Chapter Seven

	The author says again that Wiccans defend their faith and say they're
not Satanists. Satanism is a "Christian heresy" that has nothing to do with
Paganism or Wicca. To say Satan is strictly a Christian idea, neglects the
hundreds of pre and post-Christian religions that have a Satan-like being.
	He goes on to describe Satan, based on ancient Hebrew texts. He says
that every other religion known believes in evil spirits of some kind, 
except for Wicca. Wiccans believe there is no such thing as an evil spirit.
	He explains the terms Pantheism and Dualism. Pantheism is the belief
that everything is God, and that everything, including inanimate objects like
rocks, has a soul. Dualism is a belief that there is good and evil, but that
they're equal in force. He writes that this is wrong, because Christ defeated
evil, with his death and resurection.
	He says that other religions such as Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, and 
countless other lesser known religions, acknowledge an evil being or devil 
of some kind.
	He closes the chapter by saying that Wiccans have no real proof
that the bible is lying.

				Chapter Eight

	The author talks about reincarnation and how it made its way into
Wiccan belief, but that they believe in "progressive" reincarnation. In other
words, when you're reborn you never come back as a rat or a bug. You're 
reborn again and again until you ultimately become a God.
	The author talks about "karma" and how witches avoid the idea of sin,
saying there is not such thing, only "bad karma."
	He says that according to what he'd been taught, what we learn in 
this lifetime, will help us when we're reincarnated. If this is true, then why
don't we remember our past lives, and why do the vast majority hardly even 
care if they've had past lives? How can we learn if we're never told our 
mistakes?
	He goes on to discuss fatalism. In other words, we shouild not 
interfere with Karma. "Que sera, sera." Whatever is, is. There's we can or
should do about it. He says this is why India is such an impoverished 
country, because people believe in this concept. He points out Shirley
MacClaine and her book Out on a Limb, when she witnessed a terrible bus wreck
and many school children died. Her "guru" said that it was there "karma"
that they should die, and that their "higher self" wanted to die.
	The author cuts down reincarnation from scientific, (and very lengthy)
standpoint, before even pointing to the Bible. He goes on to say that the
Bible has a better track record of believeability, and answered his questions
far better than any of the metaphysical mumbo jumbo he'd been reading
	He says that the resurection of Christ cannot be a myth, because 
the bible says that about 500 people saw him between the time he rose, and the
time he ascended into heaven. If the Bible is no different than any other of
the religious books there are, how could 500 people conspire to lie so well?

				Chapter Nine

	The author talks about "Blood Sacrifices" and to what extent they're
practiced today. These types of ritual sacrifices include self-mutalation, 
animal sacrifice, and even human sacrifice. 
	The author talks about some of the ritual sacrifices common among
some of the worlds other religions, and explains in detail some of the blood
rituals he knew of, or participated in. Although he never personally partook
in any human sacrifices, he does not deny their exsistance. He goes
on to quote some of the writings of Dr. Margaret Murray, and explains the
reasons for blood ritual. Dr. Murray is responsible, to some extent, for the
revival of Wicca in this country.
	The author says that among today's society, there is a certain amount
of "blood lust" that is predominate. For example, graphic horror films that
are consistant box office hits, slowing down at the scene of an accident on
a highway, all just to satisfy our "blood lust" He describes his addiction to
graphic horror films as he moved even deeper into witchcraft.
	The author closes the chapter in saying that witches believe there is
a power in blood and blood sacrifices, but that true "power in the blood" can
be found in the blood that was shed on the cross at Calvery.

				Chapter Ten

	In this chapter, the author talks of sex rituals. This is what witches
call the "Great Rite" or "erecting the sacred altar."
	He says that Gavin and Yvonnne Frost created wuite a controversy when
they published their book, "The Witches Bible: How to Practice the Oldest
Religion." The Frosts talked abpout many things that witches had wanted kept 
secret, especially sexual rites within covens. He describes in some detail
some of the sexual activity in his coven, and points out that God condemns
sexual sin, including homosexuality and sadism, regardless of what "liberal"
line churches may say.
	He continues, again, to point to Aleister Crowley, and his addiction
to sex and hard-core drugs, and says Crowley is everything witches pretend
not to be. He describes in detail, some of the rituals actually invented by
Crowley, and that he left behind him a parade of insane women and suicidal
men as his disciples. The author tells that he too fell into this trap, and
sodomized as part of his initiation into 3rd level priesthood. 

				Conclusion

	The author closes the book, by again making many comparisons between
Wicca and Satanism. He says that Satan's fingerprints are all over Wicca, and
that all pagan religions are controlled by Satan. He tells how Jesus saved him
from total destruction, and tells others involved in Wicca, how they can be
saved from the same fate that almost befell him.

				************

	Well, there you have it. There's a lot more in the book, that I
couldn't possibly fit into one text file. I hope that this at least presents
an idea of what one person thinks of Wicca. I think maybe I may have offended
more Wiccans out there than I realize, and that was certainly not my intent.
	Books of this nature can be a two-way street. Several years ago, 
there was a preacher at a church who was doing research on Satanic cults. From
what I heard, he was so fascinated by what he found in books at a Christian
book store, that he resigned his ministry, and formed his own cult, so he 
could have sex with as many teenage girls as he could, after they'd been 
brainwashed into thinking he was God.
	My only suggestion is to get the book and judge it for yourself.
It's available at Berean Christian Bookstores.